How many words for play?

I'm deep in the middle of absorbing some fascinating new-to-me research on play, and one thing that stands out is the remarkable consistency in the lack of consistency across studies. It seems that there is still no universally agreed-upon definition of play or playfulness—something I've been emphasizing in my workshops from the start.

As many of you know, I’ve developed eight characteristics of play based on my observations of overlapping themes in the research. These characteristics have been a cornerstone of my teachings, and while I'm still processing this new information, I might consider refining them in the future—perhaps even reducing the number, but that's yet to be determined.

Since I don’t have any specific conclusions to share this week, I thought I’d simply list SOME of words researchers use when discussing play and playfulness.

• Joy

• Pleasure

• Autotelic

• Fun

• Enjoyment

• Satisfaction

• Ludic

• Intrinsic motivation

• Freedom

• Spontaneity

• Fun-seeking

• Fun-loving

• Neoteny

• Creativity

• Curiosity

• Outgoing, sociable

• Bright, aggressive, active, and confident

• Open-minded

• Eudaimonic

• The Big Five personality traits

• Uninhibitedness

• Carefree

• Frivolous

• Exaggerating

• Metaphoric

• Investigative and explorative

• Novel

• Imaginative

• Silly

• Humorous

• Laughs, clowning, teasing, joking, relaxed, lighthearted, enthusiastic, naughty, mischievous

• Whimsy

These terms come from researchers like Proyer, Shen, Sutton-Smith, Olsen, Hutt, Knox, Glynn, and many others. It’s a reminder of how broad and nuanced the concept of play is, and why it continues to be such an exciting and dynamic field of study.

The concept of play is as vast as it is vital, and I look forward to sharing more insights as I continue to explore this incredible subject.